1997 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| WHAT'S UP WITH EL NINO NOW? A HINT AT THE EVOLUTION OF EL NINO | G97-044 | 12/18/97 | 00:00:00 | Comprehensive look at the evolution of El Nino. Included are new images of the key elements of the phenomenon: sea level, temperature and wind changes; as well as new 3-D image and side-by-side comparisons of the 1982-83 and 1997 El Nino events.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): El NINO 1997 :
(a) Sea Level Anomales - 1997 El Nino as seen from NASA's Topex / Poseidon satellite. The images indicate that the pool of warm water associated with El Nino may be beginning to shrink in the far western Pacific. Areas in red indicate higher than normal sea levels and areas in blue show lower than normal sea levels. Includes data from 1/1/97 - 11/29/97.
(b) Temperature Anomalies - 1997 El Nino as seen from NOAA's AVHRR satellite. The large pool of warm water in the eastern Pacific is holding at near record levels. Areas in red indicate higher than normal temperatures and areas in blue show lower than normal temperatures. Includes data from 1/1/97 - 12/6/97.
(c) Wind Anomales - 1997 El Nino as seen from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI). Includes data from 1/1/97 - 10/31/97.
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| ITEM (2): 3-D EL NINO UPDATE - This 3-D data visualization combines data representing sea surface height (3-D elevation) , wind patterns (black arrows) and sea surface temperature (colors) to give new insights into the complex El Nino event. The data, which are changes from normal conditions, are presented for period extending from September 96 through November 97. [note: contains 5 different segments "Sandwich View", "Combo," "Combo close-up", "Combo Rotate", and "Global View" [planet wraparound].
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| ITEM (3): COMPARE & CONTRAST - Comparison of temperatures from the 1982-83 El Nino with this year's event. The images show that this year's El Nino developed much earlier and was much more organized than the 82-83 event. The 1982-83 eventually reversed and developed into a La Nina pattern towards the end of 1983. Temperatures in a La Nina are actually lower than normal. Scientists use data from previous El Ninos to develop models that help them better predict the evolution of this year's El Nino event.
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| ITEM (4): SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON - Side by side comparison of several variables important in understanding El Nino. Top window shows sea height, middle window shows temperature and wind data, and the bottom window shows precipitation data. The data, which are changes from normal conditions, are presented for period extending from January through November 1997.
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| ITEM (5): NEW PIX FROM TOPEX-POSEIDON
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| ITEM (6): GALAPAGOS - This sequence show a series of images that show the biological changes in the marine ecosystem brought to the Galapagos region by El Nino. The sequence illustrates the dramatic biological changes in the marine ecosystem around the Galapagos Islands by comparing plankton concentrations at the end of the large 1982-1983 El Nino (first image) with an image from this year's powerful El Nino (second image). The colors in the images represent the concentrations of microscopic plants (phytoplankton) that makeup the lowest levels of the ocean's food chain. Higher concentrations are shown in red and yellow.
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| ITEM (7): IMAGE FROM SEAWIFS -Image from NASA's Sea Viewing Wide Field Sensor (SeaWiFS) of showing smoke and clouds over Indonesia last October. El Nino has been blamed for widespread drought in parts of southeast Asia.
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| ITEM (8): FIRES OF INDONESIA - Fires over Indonesia as seen from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS).
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| ITEM (9): ANIMATION OF TOPEX-POSEIDON
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| ITEM (10): ANIMATION OF SEAWIFS - Animation of NASA's Sea Viewing Wide Field Sensor (SeaWiFS) on the SeaStar satellite.
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| ITEM (10): EL NINO INTERVIEWS - Interview with Antonio Busalacchi Research Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center & Ant Leetmaa
Director, Climate Prediction Center for NOAA
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